Courtesy: Toledo Athletics
TOLEDO, Ohio – The University of Toledo swimming and diving team will host its annual Blue & Gold Intrasquad meet on Friday at the UToledo Recreation Center. The meet is slated to begin at 6:00 p.m.
Friday’s meet kicks off the 2020-21 season for the Rockets, which came into shape when the Mid-American Conference announced an operational plan for the sport earlier this month. After putting on its annual intrasquad meet, Toledo’s first dual meet of the season will be on Friday, Nov. 6 at Eastern Michigan. The Rockets will host Youngstown State on Friday, Nov. 13 for their first home dual meet.
“After being away from the pool for about six months, I am grateful to have the team working towards their athletic goals again,” head coach Brie Globig said. “The Blue and Gold meet is a perfect way for us to get back in the swing of competing. Our season is extended until April, which gives us plenty of time to not only achieve our goals, but even surpass them.”
Toledo will face Bowling Green during the weekend of Nov. 20-21 and visit Oakland on Wednesday, Dec. 16 for its final competition of the calendar year. After the calendar flips to 2021, the Rockets will host Miami on Saturday, Jan. 16, visit Ohio on Saturday, Jan. 30, and host Bowling Green on Feb. 26-27. The final dual meet of the season will be at home against Buffalo on Friday, March 12.
The MAC Championships will be held April 15-17 and will be hosted by Eastern Michigan.
On a national scale, the NCAA Zone C Diving Meet will take place from March 8-10 in Ann Arbor, Mich. and the 2021 NCAA Championships will be held in Greensboro, N.C. on March 17-20.
COVID-19 Protocols
No spectators will be allowed at Friday’s Blue & Gold meet. Spectator capacity at the UToledo Rec Center for the Rockets’ remaining home meets is yet to be determined and will be announced at a later date.
Last Season in Review
The Rockets compiled 64 individual event victories last season and captured six dual-meet victories. Toledo left the pool victorious in competitions against Youngstown state, Florida Gulf Coast, Marshall, Indianapolis, Findlay, and Bowling Green. Six Rockets qualified for A finals in individual events at last year’s MAC Championships, including Izzy Jones who medaled in the 200 free (1:47.72, 2nd place) and 500 free (4:48.25, 3rd place). Jones also broke her own school record in the 200 backstroke, posting a time of 1:55.61.
All-American Joelle Gallais
Junior diver Joelle Gallais earned All-America status last season from the College Swimming Coaches’ Association of America (CSCAA), becoming the fifth-ever All-American for the program. The Lumsden, Sask. native qualified for the NCAA Zone Diving Meet last spring on both one-meter and platform. She posted an NCAA Zones-qualifying score of 278.40 on the one-meter board at Bowling Green on Feb. 8. Gallais’ score of 230.95 on the platform at Miami’s Diving Invitational in December qualified her for NCAA Zones in that event. She posted six individual wins this past season, all coming on the one-meter board. Gallais also qualified for NCAA Diving Zones as a freshman in 2019
Rockets in the Classroom
Toledo’s swimming and diving squad has experienced plenty of academic success this year. The team posted a cumulative 3.742 grade-point average this past spring semester and had nine student-athletes with a perfect 4.0 semester GPA. Eleven Rockets were named Academic All-MAC while Joelle Gallais and Izzy Jones both earned CSCAA Scholar All-America honors.